#tbh I think the latter is winning in this moment

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

torn between "these are my last few days of undergrad ever, I should savor them" and "I want this semester to be over so fucking bad"

[allhopesforlove]

Farewell, my love

Summary: In the midst of a battle, y/n realizes that their only way to victory would be through her sacrifice. Determined with her decision to lead an army of soldiers to the frontlines, there was nothing that could hold her back. Because she was sure that if she continued living on she wouldn’t survive any more of what was blooming between Elain and Azriel.

Pairing: Azriel x reader, Azriel x Elain

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: Angst, self-hate (idk tbh pls forgive me)

part 2 part 3

———————

“Someone has to lead them to the frontline to allow an opening for us.”

Freezing, thats all she felt. Her blood stopped rushing and burning in her veins, no sound and no pounding. Just a serene calm washing over her as she let the wind breeze through her blood and mud smeared hair. Ah, she thought, this is it, this is where it all ends. She was aware. She thought all of them were aware of what would happen to the group taking responsibility to charge full on towards Hybern’s forces. Without a doubt, she decided, she would do it. No second thought. It had to be her.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened her eyes to only see what made her take the decision of bringing an end to all of it herself.

There, in all of the chaos, in all of the war afflicted damage around them, in all the sorrow and pain, in all the helplessness and suffering, there, she only saw those hazel golden eyes. Those eyes she saw before sleeping and waking up when morning came. Those eyes she was mesmerized by, eyes that always managed to take away all the pain in mere seconds, eyes that made the pounding in her head stop, eyes that promised hope.

Though, they were the eyes that never seemed to look at her, lingering at the doe brown eyes of the one he was cradling to his chest.

In all her 458 years of living, only three times she saw his eyes filled with such worry. The first being when Mor was captured. The second being Rhys’ sacrifice to keep Velaris safe from Amarantha’s wrath. And the third, well the third time was the moment he realized that they actually might not be able to win this war. And that he possibly could lose her.

The ringing in her ears stopped and her vision became clear again, as the sight made her decision final, brought her back to the reality they all were facing now.

“Rhys.. are you aware of what you are suggesting right now.. this.. fuck.. this is a whole on suicide mission..”

silence passed through and then in an almost hushed but assertive voice

“I know, Cassian. I am .. god I am aware. However, this is the only way we could outmaneuver them. We are already outnumbered as it is.”

And the warlord knew. Hell, he might be the best strategist his court ever had. With all his experiences over the years as a general of the Night Court, with all his knowledge, he knew that what Rhys was saying may be their only shot at victory. But he was in denial, because it had to be someone amongst them as they barely stood in a circle. All of them carrying wounds of different degree.

He looked over towards Mor’s blood smeared face supporting Emerie with her left arm, as the latter took a deep blow on her right wing. He winced at that as he knew how sacred wings were to them. He felt for Emerie in that moment, but was brought back by a soft voice, he might have not heard if he didn’t focus just enough

“Its just as I have seen… it wasn’t this clear, but, but I think I saw how this will go, which is why I agree with what Rhysand is saying.”

Its not that she was the first person who spoke up after Rhys’s declaration or the thoughts everyone else was too scared of to voice besides Cassian, that surprised y/n. It also wasn’t that Elain saw a vision and didn’t tell a soul about it, well other than besides maybe the one at her side looking at her as if he already knew of this assertion.

No, what surprised y/n was the one second Elain blinked over at her, a mere glance that made y/n’s blood boil again. A second which confirmed that it was obviously her that Elain saw. And what more was that Azriel probably knew, he probably knew and didn’t care to tell her. The shadowsinger did all but not dare to look her in the eyes, strengthening his grip around Elains waist and kicking some imaginary stones on the ground.

It made y/n sure in her decision. It had to be her, with all that was left of her, she had to be the one to do it. She knew it, Elain knew it and, this she wasnt sure of, but Azriel too probably knew it.

Without dwelling too much on what consequences Elains silence on her vision brought to them, Rhys was determined that it had to be him. It was his duty as their High Lord, as the most powerful being in all of Prythian, as a father to his beautiful child, as a devoted man to his only High Lady and as a loyal brother and friend to his circle, to the people of Prythian. Maybe this way, he would finally be able to forgive himself for all that he has and has not done, maybe this way he could finally stop the storm that was still alive inside of him.

With one final decision he looked over his circle, the people who were closest to him, for whose happiness he would even sacrifice himself

“Cassian, you and Amren will go over to Summer’s side, I already informed Thesan. You will lead our men from the right side at my command, after I charge with all the men left at our side-“

“You will what?!” He felt Feyres fury burning through him, “Absolutely not Rhysand, you will do no such thing!”

“Feyre, darling, there is no other way, I love you and I love our son so much that I am willing to pay this price so that all of you can-“

“You can go to hell with all of that bullshit-“

“That was kinda the plan”

“Shut up, this is no time to joke! Tell Thesan we have a change of plan! No one is going to play the sacrificial lamb, we will find another way.”

But there was no other way, y/n was sure of that, as was Elain. As the pair still continued to bicker, y/n glanced over to the shadowsinger, just to, maybe, she didn’t know, but all she ever wanted was for him to see her. Maybe it was a too wishful thought, maybe she was too naive to believe that in her possibly last moments he would finally spare her a glance. Because deep down she already knew that she was undeserving of his attention, undeserving of all his affection and love.

He deserved someone like Elain, someone who even in her darkest moments didn’t break, someone strong like her, someone whose softness and calmness was serenity to his soul. Unlike her own pathetic self waddling around the Shadowsinger to get his attention for decades only to exchange mere friendly gazes and words that she decided she was content with. But still, even for all that she was, she was thankful of one thing.

Loving Azriel.

Even if it plagued her and drove her mad at times, she was thankfuk that she got to love him at least from a distance. That she got to experience all the perfection that is all Azriel. From his soft dimples that appeared when Cassian was being his silly self to his inspiring determination to win a brawl. Or, she remembered, his calming voice that still brought chills to her when thinking of it. She hadn’t really heard what he said to her because all that she was focused on was the way Azriels lips were moving, accompanied by that voice that made all of her being tremble. That made her heart flutter faster and her face a little redder.

Oh, how she loved these little moments she had with him, these few minutes she had him all to herself until someone else got his attention.

In those moments she allowed herself to dream, she made herself believe that Azriel too looked at her with a lovers gaze, lied to her heart that he too wanted her. But reality always hit, whenever it was that Mor, and in recent years, Elain walked into the room. Reality was brutally honest which is why she never dared to take the next step, she knew her place.

Or maybe she was just a coward, because y/n knew, she knew the shadowsinger rejecting her would hurt more than what she had with him now. She’d rather love him from a distance without his knowledge than make a fool of herself and risk never seeing him again.

With one final gaze towards her Shadowsinger, she sighed and finally spoke up:

“It wont be any good to just argue and waste our time. Someone clearly has to do it and to be frank I think it would be the wisest if it was me-“

“y/n no-“

“Please just listen to what I have to say Mor. I have trained for decades with Cassian and the shadowsinger, I know how to lead an army and I know my way with the soldiers. Sending Rhysand, Cassian or really any of you guys there would be the dumbest decision. We need you at the back, the people need you. And besides, we have to be honest with ourselves… all of you, well not all of you, but you have to understand that you all eventually would want to have your own families”

she glanced over at her friends, Emerie and Mor, Cassian, Feyre and Rhys

“a bright future I can see right before my eyes”

and finally at Azriels and Elains direction.

“It would be unfair for me to keep living on when you all have already found the person you want to spend the rest of your lives with and frankly-“

“That doesn’t make you any less deserving of living though.”

There goes her shadowsinger, mindful of others as always. He was scowling and panting as if he was holding off words that suffocated him. This bewildered look on his face made her heart clench but she had to step in before he could say anything more.

So she dared to look him in his eyes and with all her strength she mustered up her coldest stare she had

“You dont get to decide a thing on my life shadowsinger.”

Silence. And then

“You won’t get anywhere by trying to talk me out of it. We are already wasting so much time as it is and I have already made up my mind. I will lead them.”

Azriel wanted to say more, to tell her and convince her that it should not be her, that she still had so much left to do with her life. He remembered a time before the war, before everything, when they sat together after a training session and just talked about anything and everything. They weren’t the closest friends, no, but y/n was someone he trusted and whose company he enjoyed.

On that specific day she told him of how she dreamed of seeing the colbalt blue sea, how she wanted to just spend all day in flower fields and enjoy all the types of flowers Spring had to offer or see the enormous libraries that resided in the Day Court. She wanted to travel all of Prythian and beyond and she told him with such glee that the memory of it almost made him step forward and volunteer to take y/n’s place.

But a squeezing hand pulled him back from his thoughts. He looked down towards his hands and saw a mismatch of two clasping hands. His own scarred ones and Elain’s. His beautiful Elain.

And he remembered all the promises he made her just before this, how he would finally propose to her despite what opinions Rhysand had, how he would give her anything she asked of him.

He looked her in the eyes, although teary, she looked at him as if she was determined. She wouldn’t let him take that step forward, and frankly, he was flattered by her reaction. He finally had someone looking after him and caring for his wellbeing. Although he hadn’t dared to show all of him to her, he was content that Elain accepted him the way he was.

Elain loved him for who he was, well, for those parts she only knew of. But that was enough for him, because thats more than anyone has ever offered him.

He smiled at her and although he didn’t want to look, he turned his head back to y/n’s direction. He saw that she was arguing with the other’s, but a sudden ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing anything that was being said. The only thing he was aware of was his heart thumping faster and faster by the second and suddenly he heard another heartbeat.

It was like everything around him vanished, muffled voices and a blurry vision. And an intense smell of warm floral notes, but it wasn’t Elains, no.

Suddenly all he could feel was a deep rooted longing, similar to the one he had been feeling all those years, and fear. So much fear it nearly made him fall to the ground. He was confused. What was happening to him?

Unbeknownst to him he tightened his grip around Elain’s hand which made her wince

“Azriel are you okay?” Her voice brought him back and he tried to find the words for what has just transpired but Mor’s sudden cry made him look at y/n’s direction again

“Please dont do this y/n, please, I can’t lose you, I can’t lose my sister, someone… just someone please help.”

While Emerie , also with tears in her eyes, tried to calm her, something inside Azriel made him anxious and panic. It felt like those moments where he was on the brink of an anxiety attack, and his heart was racing so fast he felt like he was going to puke.

And this time, when he looked at y/n she was right looking back at him with wide eyes. And there, although small, he could see the first golden fibers of what seemed to be forming into one string connecting him with her.

———————

Part 2 Part 3

A/n: Ahh this was my first time writing ever 😭 I hope you guys enjoy it. Also, I would love some feedback :) Make sure to tell me if you’d like another part 🫶🏼

[alicepooryorick]

Bruce needs to get into an argument with Steph that turns into a physical fight that he expects an easy win from, before he quickly realizes to his horror and regret that she knows far more than she lets on and would have been perfectly able to put him in the ground for good at any moment in time if she wanted to.

Genuinely, and I want to be clear I'm so fucking for real here, Steph is what people think Dick is. Robins (2021) which, like, technically is dubiously canon, revealed that if Bruce never existed Stephanie would have started and led a better version of the Titans until she eventually lost trust in the JLA and came into conflict with them, and THAT'S why Bruce has to keep her down so much supposedly. Because she'd otherwise be leading superteams and calling out the JLA.

Steph has been training under Cass and Babs for YEARS now. Everyone likes to point at Tim training a little bit under Shiva? One of the greatest minds in the world and Shiva's only equal train Stephanie. Tim NOTHING. We know Bruce isn't... Particularly great at fighting (in the grand scheme at least. He's good, but he's not a specialist)

Steph was also like, a really smart kid even before any hero took her in.

I mean this so genuinely, I think Stephanie is the most qualified hero in Gotham. Cass is a better fighter yes, but Stephanie has the complete package.

Not only do I think Stephanie could probably best Bruce in a fight, I genuinely think part of her general tragedy is that she's stuck. Bruce weights her down, the Batboys weight her down, hell I have that post where I talk about how Steph and Cass patrol together not because Steph needs Cass's expertise, but because Cass needs Cass to keep her mental health in check. I made similar arguments in The Favours where I implied that Cass holds Stephanie back unintentionally. I do not think Steph minds the latter but... Like... Yeah.

I might make a post talking about Robins Stephanie tbh. Specifically the future version.

[princess-of-the-corner]

The Greatest Character Rant of all time:

"Why doesn’t Candace just take a photo—" "Why doesn’t Candace just take a photo-" (Phineas and Ferb)

OH MY GOD. STOP. STOP RIGHT THERE. YOU—YES, YOU—CLEARLY HAVE NOT WATCHED A SINGLE EPISODE OF THIS SHOW IN YOUR LIFE. BECAUSE IF YOU HAD, YOU’D KNOW SHE HAS DONE THAT. MULTIPLE. FREAKING. TIMES. SHE HAS TAKEN PHOTOS. SHE HAS TAKEN VIDEOS. SHE HAS SHOWN HER MOM LIVE FOOTAGE. SHE HAS CALLED HER MID-STUNT. SHE HAS DRAGGED ENTIRE CROWDS TO THE BACKYARD. SHE HAS LITERALLY HAD ENTIRE NEWS CREWS AND FILM DOCUMENTARY TEAMS RECORDING THE EVENTS. SHE EVEN USED A TIME TRAVEL DEVICE TO SHOW HER PAST SELF TO THE PRESENT MOMENT TO PROVE IT HAPPENED. AND IT. STILL. DIDN’T. WORK.

PHOTOS? YOU THINK PHOTOS ARE THE MAGIC SOLUTION?? BRO, THE GIRL COULD’VE HAD A NASA SATELLITE LIVESTREAMING IN 4K AND A CLONE OF HER MOM WATCHING IN REAL TIME, AND THE UNIVERSE WOULD STILL FIND A WAY TO SCREW HER OVER AT THE LAST SECOND.

WHY?? BECAUSE THAT’S THE ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE SHOW. IT’S THE GAG. IT’S THE BIT. THE UNIVERSE IS ACTIVELY WORKING AGAINST HER. THE BOYS BUILD A GIANT ROBOT ARMY, AND THE NANOSPLITTER-INATOR MALFUNCTIONS, WHICH ACCIDENTALLY TELEPORTS IT ALL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION RIGHT AS SHE BRINGS HER MOM TO LOOK. THAT’S. THE. JOKE.

CANDACE FLYNN IS NOT DUMB. SHE’S NOT LAZY. SHE’S NOT TECH-ILLITERATE. SHE’S TRIED EVERY REASONABLE AND UNREASONABLE METHOD KNOWN TO MAN. YOU COULD GIVE HER THE INFINITY GAUNTLET AND A FEDERAL WARRANT AND SOMEHOW, SOMEHOW, IT WOULD STILL ALL VANISH RIGHT AS SHE TURNS AROUND.

SO PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU. STOP ASKING WHY SHE DOESN’T JUST TAKE A PICTURE. SHE DID. SHE HAS. SHE WILL AGAIN. AND IT. STILL. WILL. NOT. WORK.

IT’S CALLED COMEDY. IT’S CALLED STRUCTURE. IT’S CALLED A RUNNING GAG. YOU ARE NOT SMARTER THAN THE SHOW. STOP PRETENDING YOU ARE.

Honestly though.

Tbh my thoughts on this plot/gimmick is that it could easily backfire

Like it could make Candace hated by the audience or the whole thing gets frustrating that she never wins, but the show balances it out well

It balances the former by having Candace not be malicious. Yes she wants her brothers to get "busted" for their actions, but it's more that she wants her mom to see and believe more than she wants the boys in trouble for anything. (Especially with the boys rules-lawyering of "we asked permission and have proper permits and paid with our own money" so they haven't done anything wrong).

The latter gets balanced in having a good number of episodes where Candace isn't actively trying to get evidence or show her mom. Maybe she's in on the shenanigans, maybe she started the plot but got dragged in, maybe she has her own plot.

[gofancyninjaworld]

There was a lot of complaints ant Saitama's breaking speech never making to the manga, but tbh even if the manga has a series of events that requires that to happen, I still don't want it to happen. Mostly bc what Saitama said is pretty hypocritical and doesn't make sense.

While I do give kudos that Saitama even admits he doesn't really have a concrete idea of what a "hero" should be... That doesn't give a vote of confidence considering he's um. Literally the most powerful hero alive. Kinda hard to believe in someone who doesn't even know if they're doing the right thing while wielding immeasurable power. He pretty much, well, dodged the question and never really bothered to shoulder the responsibility to figure out what kind of hero really wants to be.

Another is his "serious" hero hobby and Garou's "compromised" monster hobby, and the reason why he'll always win is bc he never half-assed his hobby. While he's right not to lower the hurdle before the goal... But the reason why opm more or less has a plot to begin with is because Saitama is half-assing his heroism. He barely takes anything seriously. Like, yes he never half-assed his training to be the strongest and while he's one of the more moral heroes out there he wasn't the best for a reason.

And tbh I'm really satisfied to how 166-169 played out. In the end, what the manga shows us is that they both have naive mindsets. Believing Absolute Evil would bring absolute world peace, believing heroes would always be on time and save the day — only to have reality crashing hard that for Garou to achieve Absolute Evil means people he cares about will in fact die and that Saitama's complacency and invulnerability means it's not him facing the consequences, but everyone else fatally paying that price. it just shows the perfect image that Garou and Saitama are not so different — Garou is a poor villain, Saitama is a poor hero, and it's bc of those flaws, despite them wielding incomprehensible, godly power, they both meet in the middle ground as humans. Which further reinforces ONE's intention to create Garou as the anti-Saitama.

An old, old comment that has aged like fine wine.

There's a question Garou asks Saitama in the webcomic that the latter never answers -- and really should. 'You're strong, but so what?' His questioning whether the mere fact of Saitama being stronger than anyone gave him any moral authority is one that desperately needs to be addressed in the webcomic. So far, so bad.

I really like that the manga has started to look at that question. The Japanese idiom Saitama used when looking at the carnage Cosmic Fear Garou had wrought was his being pierced by realisation (h/t @koumbaya). As if a spear had been thrown through his very soul.

It answered the question he'd been asking himself ever since the Superfight that he'd forgotten something important. In that moment, it came to him just how shallow he'd been for fretting over not learning new moves or finding tough fights. How irresponsible it'd been for him to forget that just because Garou was no threat to him, the same did not hold for others. He had become a hero so that when people were in trouble, he could be there to help them, and instead, little by little, he'd come to prioritise having a good time.

I love how the denouement of the arc has Garou and Saitama understand and enact what it is to be a hero. Garou puts aside his pride to ask for help and heroically sacrifices his life to teach Saitama how to go to the past, Saitama saves everyone who needs his help, *including* Garou.

I love how this fits into the structure of the bigger story, with King having challenged Saitama over this very notion. It's an important question. A hero may need to be strong, but how does that translate into morality? What gives a hero the right to say 'this is unacceptable and I must stop it?'

Of course, there's the small problem of Saitama having forgotten what happened. Which makes me think: whether he wants to or not, Genos has a responsibility to ensure Saitama learns those hard-won lessons without the rest of the world paying for it first.

Final thing: Garou not being left as a foil to Saitama is the best thing of all. He hasn't received a pat answer and been sent into exile to do no more evil. He's getting to struggle with his ideas, to try to forge them into a coherent and workable way forward, and it's good to see him being his own person.

[cloudyspider]

Rereading/watching BBCT to look for intriguing missed out bits and partially reviewing them now tbh part 4 featuring Carl and Arakune.

Carl's CT story has a bit in common with Jin's where they're both more nuanced in how they act in comparison with how they act in other's stories. Like they're more well behaved and understandable rather than just plain belligerent and/or insane. Not that he doesn't have his moments of belligerence or insanity but he does start off with more moments of sincere civility with others rather than barely concealed hostility.

There's something odd though where after he wins his match against Rachel she tells him what he need to help return Ada is a more powerful Nox Nyctores and points him to Jin and Noel's. Almost every Nox wouldn't help him barring Muchorin, and maybe Musashi if something needs slashing to separate Ada from Nirvana, wouldn't help him in the slightest in helping Ada so I don't know why Rachel tell him that's what he needs. Pointing him to Kokonoe would've been better because she probably can restore Ada wholly. Just a really odd choice on her part.

Arakune's is weirdly straightforward albeit insane with the dialogue option to actually have his lines be normal and not missing large chunks of it. It's just seeing behind the eyes of an insane monster that's operating on instinct and warped intelligence. Not really much trace of Roy here besides some grudging shade he throws at Kokonoe and asking Litchi for help when he's getting beat by Hakumen.

His story makes it clear that eating Ragna and his Azure Grimoire is also a bad idea but not for the obvious reasons. In the scenario where he does eat Ragna Hakumen calls Arakune a fool who's action would imprison them all in the Boundary. In the scenario where Arakune decides not to eat Ragna he says "I, who can't take it, am... this soul has a huge mass of heat and hence the fountain has exsiccated and continues to burn... the should... a horrible nightmare..." and then laughing confused. The former has an overt meaning, if unclear how this would happen, while the latter I think implies that Arakune can't "digest" someone with a strong enough soul without risk to himself. He doesn't seem to have this problem later when eating things like Nox Nyctores and their owners but he was also got upgraded by Relius later so idk. Got me thinking if what also makes Arakune a failed Black Beast is that he can't truly internalizes what he consumes in a meaningful manner but that's for a different day.

Welp up next Litchi and Taokaka.

[optimistredsox]

15 Aug, BOS @ BAL, 1-5, loss

Dammit, we need to start beating Baltimore. I hate losing to Baltimore. Not as much as I hate losing to the Skanks, but pretty close. There's just something about them. They've got a beautiful park. They've got this garish orange vibe. Not that big on orange vibes these days tbh. And I was quite happy for them to be dwelling towards the bottom of the division for another decade. Them being apparently unbeatable to the Sox at the moment is frustrating. I could just chalk it up to a standard loss but it hurts a bit more, especially when I really, really want this team to make the playoffs. I don't expect them to win everything, but I'd like them to win enough. But they're not going to win shit when the strike out ten times and walk only once. The Os only had one more hit than us but they had four more runs. D'oh! Anyway. There were some bright sides.

Wilyer Abreu was our only run, hitting a dinger in the fourth to put the Sox on the board and in the lead. Sadly that didn't last but this kid is swinging the bat really well at the moment. He was 2-for-3 with that dinger being his RBI and run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was also 2-for-3 and played both short stop and centre field and I am bringing that latter bit to attention again because I think it's been happening often enough that folks are forgetting that that is not a normal thing to happen and we are very luck to have this kid.

Nick Pivetta returned to the rotation and put in a quality start. He gave up three runs over five innings, struck out six and walked only one. If the bats had been a bit livelier, it could have been a different story.

We didn't make any errors.

It's a four-game series. We can still win this and do great things.

[cobra-creampuff]

Hiya Jack! For the OTP ask, Roy/Jamie/Keeley and 22, 56 and 58. If three is too greedy, pick and choose as you see fit. Please and thank you. <3

What reminds each of their partner?

Roy and Jamie will never tell each other but they are both genuinely reminded of each other by actual muppets. The reason they won't tell each other is not because they don't want to be insulting (they do want to be insulting) but because they feel sentimental about it lmfaooo. Jamie will see Sam Eagle or Oscar the Grouch somewhere and get misty eyed alsfjksk. For Roy is pretty much any fucking muppet 'cause he's the one who said it, but most particularly Rowlf and Janis. These two are also reminded of each other by certain shades of blue. Keeley is reminded of her boys by Richmond colors, by the brand Jamie's always wearing, by anything all-black that isn't usually black, and by basically any football stuff. She also has "their song" for each one of them and them as a throuple. (I don't listen to the kind of music she listens to, so I don't have specific songs to tell you.) She also really loves both of their accents and she thinks of them whenever she hears someone speak like them. Roy is reminded of both Keeley and Jamie (and Phoebe) by the color pink. He's reminded of Jamie by his own various Three Lions stuff, now lol. He's reminded of Keeley when he cooks or reads (the latter reminds him of Phoebe too). He's reminded of Keeley any time he takes a moment to fucking chill out and appreciate his surroundings. He's reminded of her (and now Phoebe too lmao) by the music Keeley listens to. He's not really that much of a music guy himself, so whatever music he does know will remind him of one of them tbh, since they're both passionate about what they like. He's reminded of Keeley by his own shitty handwriting lmfao. Listen. He's always thinking about them. Jamie is reminded of Keeley whenever he's doing something or behaving in a way he feels is responsible/kind/mature. He doesn't exactly credit her for him doing that, he knows he's the one who's accountable for his actions both bad and good, but she was the first person (other than his mom) who ever had any expectation of him to be "good" or belief that he could be, and that was a really important thing for him! He also thinks of her any time he's enjoying something he thinks is fancy or, like, sophisticated or "cultured" or whatever (like plays, etc). He also has a "their song" for her (not for Roy, their "song" is football wlkjrlkskf), and they had a sort of battle of the bands once where they blew out the speakers of Jamie's surround sound stereo and also Roy's patience, so the songs the two of them used for that remind him of her too.

What do they do turn the other on/put them in the mood?

Well, Jamie is RoyKeeley's little sexbot puppy, so they can pretty much turn him on just by telling him to be alsfjkkw. In particular though, he gets really weak kneed and easy by being petted/caressed, praised with that certain tone, or made to feel special in some way - nice individualized attention from Roy, being compared favorably to someone (other than Roy), an elaborate date or gesture, etc. These things give him a sort of "time to make love" kind of arousal. He wants more of the intimate/special feeling and he wants to make them feel as good as he does, and some very sweet sex is a great way to do that. For a more "time to fuck" type of arousal, Jamie can always be reliably worked up by a little roughhousing or pets/caresses that are particularly possessive (grabbing his throat or patting his ass or circling his wrists, etc, regardless of if it's rough or gentle). Being sexually teased/denied/having to watch (even just Roy and Keeley kissing if he can't join them for whatever reason) will also get him this type of aroused. And also of course winning a match, but that's not really something either of them do (although Roy will claim credit for it sometimes lol). The two most sure-fire ways for Jamie to turn one of them on are opposites qljisk. He can be an absolute brat and make them want to put him in his place, or he can be incredibly sweet and submissive and make them want to make use of that. When he's preemptively submissive, Roy always wants to test him, see how much he can make Jamie do for him, and he likes to assign him tasks that aren't necessarily explicitly sexual as a sort of tease for both of them. Keeley doesn't really see the appeal of that, her sex is generally much less convoluted than theirs lmfao. When Jamie's sweet she wants to reward him. Jamie also really good at putting very specific inflections into his patterns of speech, so he can turn a completely mundane phrase into something fucking filthy through tone alone and then say it normally later to be an unconscionable tease in public lmao. He can also rev Roy up by making him jealous. This one doesn't work on Keeley, for obvious reasons.

Who’s more likely to hold a grudge after an argument?

I actually don't think any of them really hold grudges, at least not against each other or about real arguments. Like, Roy has a grudge against Carragher, and he held his grudge against Trent for forever, but those are from an apparent mutual dislike and a distant devastating insult respectively. Having an argument or even full on fight with someone you have a personal relationship with is something totally different from those. I also think all three of them have tempers, but they are also all three fully cognizant of those tempers and take deliberate steps to control them or at least mitigate their effects. This is especially true for Jamie and Roy, who are both very scared of hurting people they love. Keeley holds the same type of grudge that Roy does, against strangers or near strangers or acquaintances or whatever that she'll hold onto for foreeeeeever, but she's extremely quick to forgive someone she cares about no matter how dramatic her anger was when her temper snapped with them. All it really takes for any of them is an open discussion of what upset them and a genuine, self-aware apology to get them past things. The only time they'll hold "grudges" with each other is over stuff that doesn't actually matter. Like if one of them eats someone else's special snack, or jokingly insults a musician they like, etc.

OTP Asks

[youremyheaven]

Hey, I always end up here for some reason. I actually do have a lot of people I want to ask about but it would take an eternity, but I would like to ask about relationships. I never dated but I did attract the boys I liked, some moments just happened for 1 or more years but I couldn't date them or anything, I don't regret nothing but I do remember them messing bad and it always ends up with me and my dignity, and I choose latter. They do remember and "seem" to like me even after months, as I heard from my friends after I stopped talking to them which I don't what's happening like where was your courtesy before? With such failed attempts in barely seeing them made me question my own taste. If I remember I know they reciprocate the feelings from here and there but they never told me directly, it's like I've to put efforts which I mostly don't and I don't want to assume anything so I just have to move on. I take my time and they end up doing bizzare things so I create some distance. There was a guy who did confess after whole ton of my hardwork but it was such a trashy experience, I didn't settle of course but my goodness never in my life again. I just gave up on this matter overall, let's see what happens next. I want to be a little delusional for a while. Can you talk about V a little bit, I was curious because I relate to him a lot and I thought of it as romantic before but I don't think it's the same now, I don't know what I'm trying to say but you haven't talked about him much either and I wished to hear this from your side? So if you just want to add something? Maybe I'll know myself a little too? Can you also talk about my attraction to such partners and them being weird?

i dont know if i entirely understood what you were trying to say

but basically you attract boys you like but even if they seem to like you, you don't get them to confess or be straight up with you??

IF this is what you meant,

boys who dont tell you they like you are weaklings. a lack of clear communication means they dont like you enough to risk their pride getting bruised. if a guy genuinely likes you, he'll risk it all and be straightforward with you

guys hold back when they have multiple thoughts running through their head and ideally their only thought should be bagging u

what goes on in their heads is none of our business and it doesnt matter. a guy who does not actually be clear with his intentions and does not pursue you is NOT worth your time. leave them in the dust.

idk how young you are but since you say you dont have any experience dating , i feel like saying this, its okay to want to be desired and wanted by others. there is nothing wrong with it. its biological and natural.

so ask yourself if you just wanted a bunch of admirers or if you actually wanted to date these guys

i know it can be really confusing and stressing as well tbh when someone gives you mixed signals but honestly just leave it at that. theyre being shady because THEY have shady intentions. no man with actually good intentions would hesitate to approach you directly my queen<333

idk how useful this is but im someone with a very "a win is a win" mentality lmao in the sense that if i liked someone and they liked me back, thats a win 😌😜

you did hear from your friends that those guys liked you, so likeeee 👀💅🏻

the number of people who like you, who you have mutual liking with etc will always exceed the number of people you actually date bc thats just math

if 10 guys like u and u like them back, u cant date all 10 in one go (or maybe u can but u'd have to figure that one out urself 🤡)

alsooo men being weird is just ://// how a lot of men are. many guys are straight up bizarre ://// dont take that stuff personally

about V (taehyung), he's actually my least favourite BTS member tbh,, idk if its because he's a Revati Moon (atmakaraka) with Mars in Uttara Ashadha amatyakaraka or what but he's always struck me as a guy who was kinda tough to be around. i dont think he's horrible or anything but his Shravana Venus, UA Mercury and Mars, Moon conjunct Ketu,,, its a weird combo,, he himself is a bit offbeat and eccentric but he would expect his partner to be kinda traditional and modest. i just dont like malefic influenced men i guess :///

something about his sweet boy act feels insincere to me. and as someone who has been around manyyyyy Revatis ,, i dont like that ADHD type behaviour they exhibit (im not making fun of anyone who actually suffers from ADHD and nor am i equating a mental condition with a nakshatra, i just dont know how else to describe the way manyyy Mercurials act??? yk all those funny reels and tiktoks about how gen z has a short attention span and communicate in a weird way bc they're chronically online, yeah, thats how a lot of Mercurials act)

a bit of a self-drag but i went to a girls school until i was 15 and had never interacted with a guy my age, after switching to a co-ed school at 16, i had to learn how to deal with guys from scratch. its a whole different world ill tell u. i think atp due to your lack of experiences with dating, you just dont know what to expect and how to deal with it. and thats okayyy,, this is just a part of life and youll figure it out for yourself as you go. dont stress out too much and dont worry about it tbh,, there are 8 billion people on this planet, there has to be a decent guy who will be honest, as well <333

[russilton]

I meant the whole situation is a mess in the team now. Sorry I should’ve been more specific in the ask. I know I should stop looking for mean comments but sometimes it’s harder than just saying it. I should really try ahaha

With Mercedes it’s forever a case of are they actually doing something terrible, or are they just incompetent… it’s usually the latter tbh. It’s a big team and not a monolith, and we tend to only focus on the fuckups and not the progress moments. It baffles me people can shout themselves blue about a legitimate pit strategy with George and Lewis, and then go “I can’t wait for Ferrari” — the team with a double DNF who sent a driver out on hards in the rain and worse radio communication than a ww2 spy

Don’t get me wrong, we should hold them to account, they need to pull themselves together and be clearer with their drivers rather than an aloof sort of “just trust us” approach that feeds conspiracies— but we should also be considering the fact they have made big leaps forward with updates, the boys are now competing for potential wins, they spent time upgrading their pit equipment and have massively dropped our pit times.

We see a sort of hump like this yearly where the drivers want more, they’re frustrated, and the team tries to pretend nothing is wrong while everyone and their mother can tell what’s up. I just try to elbow through it.

As for comments- I get it, but trust me once you get away for good you’ll wonder how you ever lived before. I was on twitter for fucking Abu Dhabi 2021, it was awful. I got called plenty of slurs by verstappen fans who wouldn’t stay out of Mercedes comments. I still didn’t leave twitter until 2022. Now every time I go back for more than grabbing the Mercedes uploads in 4k, I get angry.

It’s just a rage inducing place to be. You cannot reason with people who think posting the same edit to a corporate twitter account it’s somehow owning them. I sat down the other day and tried to block every idiot in their comments to see if I could actually clear up the comment section. It can’t be done, it’s just endless reams of twats posting Ferrari edits they stole who are utterly blind to anything but their own idea of shit.

Don’t even get me started on Instagram, the comments there are regularly full of vaccine conspiracies on literally any given post. Nico Rosberg would LOVE it but I don’t.

Trust me neither driver are looking at them, you shouldn’t bother.

[alphabetsoup-blogposts]

Oh, was that aimed at me?

No, I didn't catch on but...sure. There's no possible anti-GG psyops that can work on their part... for the simple reason that I am not rationally taken with GG in the first place. I am not stupid or blind. I think you're acting to win a fight and that, broadly, I would prefer that you do—but I don't for one nanosecond think that you are pre-programmed to be kind to me. What keeps me loyal is simply that I remember what they were like and it is far worse than whatever happens now.

*Sigh* That is the bit of the puzzle that they simply don't get, that they're defended against and it is a bit of a mystery tbh. I never understood, as you know, the central tenets of their defence and I still don't. What I do remember, by way of illustration, is texting R brusquely in 2015 or 2016 that I had no intention of applying for such-and-such job in [the building],* that I was feeling manipulated that I needed to get away as soon as possible. And, that was just moments after a meeting with K in which I said much the same thing, only less brusquely. And, I believed for just one minute that I had surely been confrontational and disrespectful enough to smash through the cult and make my point about the pain, the disagreement, the loathing and the desperation. I felt carefree and floaty for just one day. Then I realised with a plummeting sense of despair that they were just going to ignore it all and carry on before with the "love you, Jo" words, the not-so subtle put-downs and humiliation with their left hand and the outright control with their right. That is the level of their denial but I have absolutely zero idea at all whence it all stems. Still, as I say, the memory is still fresh and it keeps me loyal.

I applied for many jobs over the years from 2005, including after this point. And for about the first decade of that time, I wanted almost nothing more than a proper job in that same building—a chance to shift direction away from the law and into finance proper—but, as I had just explained to K in lengthy detail, 2014-5 had changed everything. I would not apply for a job that I suspected R or B of wanting me to do and would take offence at being manipulated in any way at all. I feared that they were controlling me, limiting my autonomy and my options. (I may not have put it exactly in those latter words to K but I certainly spoke about being burdened by a sense of being manipulated.). I also explained that I could not, in any event, apply for another ambitious job at that point because I was struggling and simply no longer interested. (What I meant by that—and I think it was perfectly clear--is that I was would not be interested in the striving, competing, hustling, dominating, protecting, deflecting, politicking... things which I was, after 2014, well-equipped to understand come with an ambitious job.) Do not twist what I said. Do not suggest that I was not willing to do virtually anything that would have helped me escape, because I was.

[foggyparadisecandy]

[Trauma dumping - scroll on by if you are looking for horny stuff]

I know, I know ... another one. I'm just purging it out as fast as I can. Catharsis in a public blog. Why not?

This one in particular is written for my ex-partner even though I know she won't read it. I just have to play pretend to feel remotely good about things.

Hey D - I want to start off and say that I love you, I care about you, and I forgive you for anything and everything. Please remember that you can always reach back out to me.

Yeah, what you did was pretty shitty tbh. But ... it's ok. I mean ... yeah ... do better. Good people do shitty things on occasion and IDK.

Maybe I'm way off base but everything points to a horrible trauma response. I could be wrong. I don't think so though.

Either way, who gives a shit at this point. I forgive you and the point of this letter is to ask that you don't use your treatment of me or us to beat yourself up.

It hurt. It still hurts. It probably will hurt for awhile but I'm going to come back stronger than I was before so, in the end, it will be a net positive for me. Except for losing you. That ... really ... is awful tbh.

I've told you how much you brightened my life in other letters so I'm moving past that one here. Let's talk about me for a moment and where I'm at and where I'm heading so you can feel like "hey ... Foggy is going to be ok ... I didn't permanently harm him and it seems like he's actually doing well."

And let's really quiet that subconscious that makes you want to feel bad - at least on this particular issue. It's all going to be better than fine for me in the end. I know that and you should feel ok about me.

I've made a lot of new friends who have been very kind and accommodating to my pain. You know I'm a curious dude and it's been very interesting to hear so many stories from other people. Love it.

I've reconnected with some old friends - online and in RL. I've got a pretty full social calendar these days which is a first in ... a loooong time. Pretty ironic considering how much I was always telling you to build connections and my own were thin.

I've started working out. It's only been 7 weeks and I'm doing pretty freaking good tbh. I started doing pushups and planks every time I thought of you but ... that got exhausting fast ... you are always on my mind lol. So I cut back to 30 minutes per day.

I've had it out with my wife about everything. Well ... not exactly everything but most things. I'm not sure where that goes but I know I don't want to go back to a boring status quo situation. You opened my eyes to a new way to exist and I want more, not less. It'll be ok either way - I know that for sure.

I've lost 8 pounds in 7 weeks. This one isn't really a blessing lol. I couldn't eat or hold food down for the first five weeks. Only really started eating again recently. But it is what it is. I wasn't heavy at all but I'm happier thinner so ... a win?

I've ... mostly ... started to be able to sleep through the nights again. For the longest time, the most I could sleep was 3 or 4 hours then wake and could not drift back off. I still ... am struggling ... a bit. Woke up the other morning at 4 am crying. That wasn't fun. But it's rare lately and I'm guessing will be gone soon enough. Not sure if this is a win or if it's me just feeling sorry for myself. I'm guessing the latter but I'm leaving it in here because it *is* better than it was early on so it's progress.

I've started therapy to figure out why I chase after helping others (mostly women) to fill the sad little hole in my soul. Actually ... I already know why. You know all the shit with my mom and ... yeah ... I'm working on it. Trying to get healthy for the first time since I was a ten year old kid. Kind of silly that it took you breaking up with me for me to figure this stuff out. It is really breaking me down to realize my life since ten has been so fucked up with trauma. Can you imagine not clearing your trauma away for that long? Can you imagine that? I hope not. Did you get that hint? I hope so.

I've refocused on work for the first time in a decade. I've set some huge fucking goals. I want to hit it big and I've given my team through the end of next year. I'm going to do it and then I'm going to fuck off from work and shift my priorities to something else - something more fulfilling. It's still to early but I want to take some of those self-improvement things we did together and do something with them for others. I'm using them on myself so I can see how they work and where they need to be fine-tuned. We'll see how it all goes.

I'm trying to figure out what makes me genuinely happy. All of my belief systems have been shattered tbh. I ... don't know yet if that's bad or good or just is what it is. I don't know anything atm about love or happiness or fulfillment or ... anything. I'm still more than a bit lost. You untethered me from everything I knew about myself. I'm not saying this is a bad thing ... I'm saying ... I don't know what comes next. Knowing me, it's going to be fucking great and better than it was. I've always been pretty good at solving problems and making great things happen for myself and those around me (as you know).

I'm doing my best to be kind to myself. I am not sure when the last time I was kind to myself was. I honestly can't remember when I've had a decent thing to say about myself. It's always been "do better" "be better" stuff. I'm working on it as fast as I can. Beating yourself up is an awful way to live. Not sure why I need your splitting on me to figure that out.

I have realized ... despite everything ... I am a good and decent and kind person. I lost sight of that for a hot minute there. I'm not perfect. Hah. Nope. But I do the best I can and I am quick to take steps to change up when I know I've fucked up. But yeah ... I'm good and decent and kind. I know those things now better than I ever have.

And ... you are good too. I know it deep down in my soul.

I see it in you. You are not your father. Far from it.

And you didn't permanently hurt me here. Lots of good will come from this. Believe it. Thank you for everything.

And I believe good things will happen for you. I have full faith in you.

I am no longer in a position to tell you what to do but ... please work on your trauma. For your own sake. And find a new path in life. I know you feel like your current job is your life but ... that job will bring you nothing but misery and sorrow and trauma and damage.

You deserve better. You know that. Deep down, you know everything we shared showed you a different path.

You deserve far better.

You might need to go through some pain to get on a new path but I know who you are. I know you are a fighter and know how to get shit done. You can and will do it. Start planning. Start doing.

And legit ... I'm still here and willing to boost you along in life.

I've always wanted one thing: to see you reach your full potential. It's amazing. The world is waiting to see it.

One final thing that I have discovered and honestly I feel really good about this one - even if you never reach out again:

I love you sincerely and wish nothing but the best.

[zukosdualdao]

@questioningdragons

no worries at all! i definitely didn't mean this as a rebuke, so i hope it didn't come across that way, as i think this is a great and nuanced commentary and just happen to think azula being the one to issue the challenge before reneging on the rules adds to that nuance.

it is an interesting comparison, that scene in the crossroads of destiny where azula refuses his challenge vs. issues her own in sozin's comet.

in the former, while zuko feels the need to face azula after she tricks and nearly corners him and iroh and challenges her. while some may attribute this to pride (and i do think there's some of that at play, granted), it's also undeniably the reaction of an abuse survivor who is fed up with it all. azula doesn't feel the need to engage in the challenge he presents to her, though. why would she, when she has the dai li to fight for her, and when she knows she has the power to imprison zuko and manipulate him by dangling everything he's ever wanted in front of him, which is exactly what she does?

in the latter, zuko and katara explicitly initially plan to defeat azula together. it's azula who this time issues a challenge meaning they can (or are supposed to) only involve themselves. there are some that might argue that katara and zuko's plan is underhanded, but considering their goal is to undermine a fascist regime, i'd say it's justified. the audience is also privy to something katara and zuko aren't, though; the initial trigger for azula beginning to unravel is the friends that once would've fought with her 'betraying' her. she then proceeds to banish, it seems, almost everyone in her palace, overcome by fear and paranoia, leaving with no one she trusts to fight with her. you're definitely right that she has, prior to this, always preferred to never fight one-on-one, and i wouldn't be surprised if katara and zuko actually expected to find her still with plenty of resources and back-up. instead, she challenges zuko to an agni kai (which katara rightly points out is a tactic she is using to isolate him in an attempt to make her win easier), and zuko agrees—which tbh i'd argue is maybe partly out of plot contrivance, because the creators really wanted that big dramatic moment of zuko jumping to save katara. (which, to be clear, i adore, but still.) but in universe, the reason zuko gives for agreeing to the challenge is not out of pride or an attempt to give himself an advantage (and in fact, it actually takes what advantage he might have away), but because he doesn't want anyone else (katara) to get hurt if they don't have to, showing how much he's grown and how his honor is something he's earned through his atonement.

azula, by contrast, clearly recognizing that he cares about what happens to katara, cheats by targeting her once it's clear zuko is winning, because even now (especially now?) that she's unraveling, she cannot fathom a world where the brother she's always been taught is weaker and worth less than her wins and she loses.

(i also find this scene interesting as a direct continuation of azula's attack in southern raiders, in which she claims she is specifically there to "celebrate becoming an only child." it comes after mai and ty lee have fought back against her, with mai directly citing zuko as the reason she 'betrayed' her. zuko, who, under ozai's influence, azula has always been taught is inferior to her and someone weaker that she can control and/or hurt. so, in a way, it's not surprising that when she starts to feel her own control slipping, she goes out of her way to target him.)

I just rewatched The Crossroads of Destiny, and I'm having thoughts about how Azula serves as Katara's narrative foil that I'm not sure I can articulate.

Azula is a firebending prodigy. Yet despite that, she never beat Katara one on one. Katara is largely self taught, and in less than a year went from barely being able to control a ball of water to being Azula's equal, if not better

Azula doesn't fight fair. Zuko tells us that Azula lies, but we also see this played out in action time and again. The difference between her and her honourable brother is stark. She never fights one on one if she can avoid it--whether it be with Mai and Ty Lee by her side or with the Dai Lee--and the few times she's forced to, she cheats. The big obvious example being when she targets Katara after finally acceding to Zuko's agni kai challenge.

As far as I can remember, Azula only fights one on one with Katara twice: once momentarily in the crystal catacombs (where Katara was well on her way to winning, before Zuko interceded) and once after the aforementioned agni kai (where Katara takes her out handily)

I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, but there are interesting things going on between Katara, Azula, and Zuko. (In my mind, the fourth season that never happened would have expanded on that a lot.) What with Zuko and Katara having similar ideas about what a fair fight looks like, despite having totally different ideas of what honour looks like. And Katara and Azula both being overpowered little sisters. Actually, come to think of it, I'd imagine that both Katara and Azula would define honourable behaviour as something along the lines of acting in accordance with your values. Except that they have completely opposite values.

[rinnepegger]

Hello! Can I request the big 3's (diavolo, Lucifer, and barbatos) reaction to you staring at them for a long time and when they ask why you're staring you tell them they're just so unbelievable pretty?

<33

AYOOOO FIRST ASK??#! THANK U SMMM!!! <3333 And of course you can! I'm so thankful as well behrhhehhewbb. Also sorry in advance if diavolo and barbietoes is slightly ooc hehe haven't played the game in a hot moment, but I still do hope you enjoy this post!

TW/CW: fluff, GN!Reader

Staring at Diavolo, Lucifer, and Barbatos then telling them they're really pretty

★☆ Lucifer

You two were in his study while he was doing his regular paperwork and you were on your D.D.D.

You set down your device as you sighed and stretched out your arms since you were practically turning to stone as you sat in your seat without movement.

You looked over at Lucifer and didn't even realize you were staring him down so intently tbh.

his well sculpted face, the way he bites down on his bottom lip as he was skimming through each individual document.

the warm glow from the burning fireplace next to his table radiating onto his face which only accentuated his already well defined features even more.

this perfect view of his face from where you were seated only reminded you about one of the many reasons as to why you even fell for this grandpa in the first place.

clearly you were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn't even notice that you were staring at him so intently that you could have possibly made him feel uncomfortable, though you highly doubt so.

"MC, is everything alright?"

As expected, he asked rather nonchalantly, barely even making eye contact with you as he returned right to his paperwork.

"Oh it's nothing. I just think you're rreeaalyy pretty."

He tried to look unbothered, not letting his facade falter in the slightest. However the slight hitch in his breath and pink which dusted his cheeks told you otherwise.

You could visually see him tense up a little bit as he brought up one of his slender fingers to rub on his temples.

"Don't be stupid."

"But I'm not."

"You're lying aren't you?"

"I wouldn't lie to you!"

He brought up his elbow to rest on his desk as he pressed him palm to his cheek, and you swear that you could've seen a smirk growing on his face.

You knew deep down that he only called you a liar and stupid just to get you to reinforce the fact that you weren't lying to him, as well as to feed his pride.

But hey, as long as you get your compliment through that thick skull of his, it's a win either way.

★☆ Diavolo

It was during a date night at Ristorante Six.

He was going on and on, talking about how embarrassing Lucifer could be at times in private without his brothers around.

The way his face lit up as he reminisced the past events that were probably abnormally long ago for a human like you.

The way the corner of his eyes crinkled up as he burst out in his boyish laughter for the nth time that evening.

The way he radiated such a child-like aura from his close-eyed smile only made you fall deeper in love with the soon-to-be Demon King.

The longer you stared at him for, the more you fell into the downward spiral called love.

His hair has slightly ruffled, clearly due to a failed attempt to gel his hair back for the date. His broad shoulders and the way his posture seemed to carry so much pride in him, either from his high ranking as a well-respected demon, or to have you as his significant other, though we al know and believe it to be the latter. dont forget his big tits as well.

"MC, are you okay? You've barely touched your food. Does it taste bad? I can ask them to get a replacement for you."

You giggled at how concerned he was for you , and also due to the fact that there was absolutely no issue with the food either.

"The food is perfectly fine. It's just that I think you're really pretty."

He takes a second to actually absorb what you said but once he did, he chuckled and his tan cheeks turned an ever-so-light shade of red.

"I think you're really pretty too MC. Especially tonight! You look stunning and I'm surprised no one has said anything about how gorgeous you look!"

Oh how the tables have turned hahah

Your cheeks too turn to a deep shade of red.

Honestly you should've expected him to respond like this, but it still manages to catch you off guard.

On the way out of the restaurant, he pasted a big fat juicy smooch on your temple as he rubbed your shoulders.

"I love you a lot MC."

★☆ Barbatos

The two of you were baking in the Demon Lord's Castle.

He was mixing and preparing the pastry cream as you pulled a tray filled with goods out from the oven.

You set the tray down on the kitchen island to cool down before piping the cream into them with Barbatos.

You looked up from your work station and saw Barbatos working intently on his confection.

He looked very calm and at peace, probably as a result of mastering the art of baking through centuries of practice, as well as having this rare opportunity to work with you.

All his features were relaxed and there was a slight gleam in his eyes still present.

He already had felt you staring at him for a little, but it was only later on that he decided to look back up to you.

"Yes, MC?"

He said as he tilted his head slightly to one side

"No it's nothing. It's just that you're really pretty when you're so focused."

He smiled warmly as slight red dusted his pale cheeks.

He reacted so nonchalantly about it that it was honestly really underwhelming.

He walked over to you and reached out his hand to your face.

You widen your eyes in surprise and your cheeks flush red ///////

He caressed your cheek and swiped his thumb along your smooth skin, before speaking.

"You know that you're still more beautiful than me right MC?"

You averted your gaze to the wall next to you due to the sheer embarrassment you were feeling that words alone couldn't express either.

He laughed at your reaction before pressing a chaste kiss to your nose.

"Alright alright, let's quickly finish this up so we can spend some time together in my room. How does that sound?"

---

[lewis-winters]

Why is it like I want to protect Dick from Sobel's attempt on court martial against him? I feel like I want to wrap him in a blanket and cuddle him.

Tbh, in the beginning I was feeling the same as you anon. I've been subjected to a power tripping bully boss before, I knew Dick's pain. But when the scene cuts to Sobel's office and the "call for court martial" is revealed to be "taking a punishment (48 hrs pass revoked for 60 days) OR request trial by court martial" and Dick chose the latter, I lost almost all my sympathy. More under cut bc it got long--

Dick Winters totally deserved that-- he REQUESTED it. Not to say Sobel didn't deserve getting his ass handed to him by his own NCOs (he overestimated their fear of him and completely underestimated their love of Dick) for being such a power tripping asshole, but all of that drama could have been avoided if Dick had just decided to keep his mouth shut and taken the punishment. Which, according to Sobel, wasn't anything off Dick's plate; he already spent those weekends he'd've been deprived of on base, anyway! At this point, the only thing at risk was Dick's own pride in his work ethic, and instead of just picking his battles and taking the punishment, he chose to prove a point-- which he DID NOT, at the time, have the capacity to prove, by the way!

Dick risked a lot getting himself court martialed! And though Malarkey speculated that Dick had arranged the NCO mutiny irl (as mentioned in Malarkey's book) we don't know that for sure, and in the show, it certainly wasn't framed that way! Think about the facts: 1) Dick cares about his men, but he's not delusional enough to think: 'oh, they'll risk their own court martialing to save my ass.' He's not entitled enough to expect that of them, either. Meaning Dick requested court martial without knowing if he'd win. 2) What REALLY is the harm of just spending those punishment days on base that Dick would have otherwise spent on base anyway, punishment or not? Literally, that whole scene was just Dick saying "well I was gonna do it, but I think you're being unfair, I don't want to do it now! even if awaiting trial by court martial means I most likely won't jump in Normandy and help protect the men I care about!"

TL;DR - Dick Winters went and chose court martial, without a back-up plan, simply because his pride was wounded.

It was, in hindsight, very stupid. Very brave, and definitely shows us the kind of man he is-- driven by principles and the very strong instinct of fairness and right from wrong-- but it was also very stupid. And risky. You are at WAR Dick, and sooner or later you will be leading your men into a blood bath! Now is not the time for silly ego games!

Think of it this way: he knew how incompetent Sobel was, he knew what would happen if Sobel were to eventually lead Easy, he knew removing himself via court martial meant leaving his men to the mercy of Sobel's mistakes, he KNEW that his trial by court martial would not be completed in time to jump into Normandy with Easy. Dick knew all that, he'd have to have known that, but he still sacrificed it all because he wanted to make a point.

When I think of Dick getting court martialled, my first instinct is to put my head in my hands and remind myself that not even the great Dick Winters is exempt from letting his ego get the best of him. I think a lot of people just miss that because it turned out ok in the end (i.e. Dick was reinstated out of mess + Sobel was sent away + Meehan was given Easy). But for a tense moment there, it very nearly didn't. What would have happened then?

Would fighting for his pride have been worth the lives of his men?

[iris-sistibly]

Overall Thoughts on House of the Dragon season 1: Is this worth watching?

These are my OVERALL thoughts and opinions based on the show and how it is compared to the novel. 

The show started out really strong

From the trailer, down to the first few episodes. All were amazing! The cast were serving, I always looked forward to watching it every week. That aside, everything was on point–from the costumes (those details!!!), visual effects, musical scoring, cinematography, all were top notch! Some even say that this is way better than the first season of GoT (too early to tell tbh). 

Then the timeskip happened

I know they wanted to focus on the dance so they had to do some major time skipping to fast-pace the story a little more and focus on how the dance of the dragons started. I personally didn't mind that much since I too was looking forward to the tension stirring between Alicent and Rhaenyra, although I must say that it was a tad bit different from the book (we'll get to that later) BUT I would have loved to see how Rhaenyra and Harwin's relationship developed after Rhae dumped Criston to marry Laenor and then having difficulties in conceiving a child with the latter. I would have loved to see how Laenor was coping up at the death of his lover before he met his new paramour. Lastly, the build up between Daemon and Laena's relationship (and well, more of Laena tbh). Perhaps they didn't want to bore the viewers, but I would have loved to see those side stories. Again, the time skips to me were fine. 

They steered away from the book and the first character assassination happened 

Alicent Hightower was the first casualty. In Fire & Blood, it said that both she and Rhaenyra aspired to be the first lady of the realm (this was during Viserys' reign). I have to say that it was never mentioned how Otto raised his own daughter, but she was nowhere near the Alicent I saw in the show. From the very beginning, she has always known what she was doing, she didn't need her father telling her to "do this" and "do that." While in the show, Alicent has shown reluctance to fight for Aegon's claim to the throne at first, in the book, the queen has always been vocal when it came to her son's rights and THIS is where the tension began, this is the reason why the court was divided into the party of the princess and the party of the queen. Alicent's biggest supporter was, of course, her dad and this cost Otto his position as Hand. 

To make Alicent a prisoner of her own father (in the show) was interesting. She was taught to obey her father without question and it was because of this that she first backstabbed Rhaenyra by "winning the king's heart" and marrying him. I love the rebellious stage of the princess and the queen trying to reach out, then eventually patching things up for a moment and then fucked up, that was fine by me. The moment Alicent made that grand entrance at Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding wearing the color of her house as a way of sending a message to Rhaenyra: it's on bitch, I got so excited. I thought she was going from being a pawn to a player and I'll finally get to see a fiercer side of Alicent. 

But her character was so inconsistent

After the final time skip, that's when everything spiraled downwards for her. Idk what the fuck the writers were thinking when they wrote the story of Alicent in this season but I'm not buying this bullshit. Olivia Cooke delivered her character so well, and that's overall the only good thing about Alicent at this point. Her low-key "waging war" against Rhaenyra, and then having no clue that the greens were already plotting something behind her back to ensure that Aegon will be king and not his sister is so dumb. Perhaps she has known about their plans on crowning her son but not about murdering Rhaenyra, but come on, does she really think that the Blacks would stay still? 

And then there were other things too like, humiliating Rhaenyra at the council meeting, teaching her kids to hate her ex-bffs children, initially planning to take away Lucerys' rights to Driftmark, etc. then she suddenly went back into, "you would make a fine queen" at the dinner scene. I did sense that she still cares for Rhaenyra which was good, but I wish it was more like a facade so when Rhae turns her back, she'd be like "just kidding!" (same goes for Rhaenyra). I would have preferred that over the miscommunication that happened at the end of episode 8. 

Speaking of this stupid prophecy

This is one of the reasons why the second half of the show flopped (as far as the story is concerned). I think that it's so dumb that they made Alicent…well…misinformed about the whole prophecy thing. Then after hearing that "vAliDatiOn" from Viserys, she suddenly learns to defy her dad, and wants to protect Rhae and her family like wtf?! She becomes softer towards Aegon, and tries to prevent bloodshed as best as she can, which she did in the book. But then again, the prophecy bullshit has already messed her up and the entire first season as well. 

Viserys accidentally spilling Aegon the Conqueror's dream wasn't necessary

If anything, it steered away from the core reason why the dance happened in the first place. It turned one, if not the bloodiest war all throughout the Targaryen dynasty into a joke, Alicent didn't have to know about that dream. Her fighting for Aegon's claim simply because he exists is more than enough to challenge Rhaenyra's claim to the throne and cause a war. Had they stuck to the ascension issue and worked their way from there, this wouldn't have turned out the way it did. 

They tried so hard to paint Alicent as a pitiful character

Nope, y'all murdered her. Alicent is beautiful and she's not dumb, she can be fierce and cunning as well. She fought for what she thought was right in accordance with the law, not because of some prophecy. 

Then the writers thought that it would be fun to assassinate another character

Daemon Targaryen, why am I even surprised? I know Sara Hess doesn't like him but whatever. When I was reading Fire & Blood, I did not understand why he's GRRM's favorite. But as I went on with the story, I now know why. Daemon is one, if not the most complex character in the novel. His nature is pretty much typical for a Targaryen–volatile, impulsive, but is also protective and like I said, he will always fight for his family. 

I don't get why the fuck are they trying to paint him as the worst character when clearly there are much more terrible characters than him. I have already discussed so much about Daemon's redeeming qualities, it's bad enough that they fucked up Daemon as a dad to his girls, and now they tried to paint him as a husband who's just as bad or worse than Aegon (he didn't murder Rhea Royce in the book okay?) Like I said in my previous post, that shit was soooo unnecessary and so out of place. It's like Daenerys in season 8 all over again! I'm not saying that Daemon is a heroic character, hell no! He's nowhere near Harwin Strong, but that doesn't mean that he was pure evil (as in like evil, evil). He's the same as the other characters, they all possess BOTH good and bad sides that's why I was invested in him and in so many other characters.

For the record, none of them are purely innocent

Except for the babies. That's what HotD's edge over other fantasy shows, it's not a typical hero saves the day kind of story, it's about how far are you willing to make your hands dirty for your ambition, and if losing the people you love and care about is really worth that something you want so badly. 

By the way, they really love accidents don't they?

Don't bullshit me with Aemond being Aemond, who initially was terrorizing Luke for fun and him accidentally killing his nephew was unintentional, that's not quite Aemond at all. Like I've said before, he's a raging bitch. If I were Aemond, and I lost my eye because of my nephew–accidental or not I will never forgive him. Aemond has hated Lucerys (and his brothers) for so long, even before Luke accidentally plucked out his eye. And every single time he sees him, he always has this urge to kill him. He is also very volatile, had they stuck to the book and planted the same scene in the show that triggered Aemond's anger, that would have been enough reason for him to act impulsively and kill Luke. 

Luke's death being written off as accidental, to make the greens…hm…how do I put this? Less terrible? Is also dumb. The greens and the blacks know wtf were they getting themselves into, it started with the question of succession, then along the way Rhaenyra and Alicent's families had hurt each other which made things worse, and that paved the way for the dance of the dragons. No prophecies, no stupid accidents. 

HBO has a habit of starting off their shows so well and then fucking it up at the end

They really fucked it up the way they fucked up GoT. They outdid themselves this time though, because it only took 1 season. Fire and Blood is literally a history book that was written based on contradicting accounts, meaning the screenwriters had options to choose which one of the accounts was more credible and made more sense (though the very core of the story is the same). They steered away from the novel, fucked up the most important parts of the story and made it worse. 

Idk how the fuck are they going to redeem themselves in the next season, but hopefully it gets better. I'm still crossing my fingers that they'll be able to pull this off despite of what happened in s1 and I'm looking forward to it. 

Is House of the Dragon worth watching? 

Yes, but watch at your own risk 

I love the actors, the technicalities, props, costumes, etc. The first half was really good, but when it came towards the end… 👎 plus I hated how they wrote two of the show's major characters (I don't even know how many fucks I've said already bc of this). 

However, I still think that this show is entertaining. The watching experience was exhilarating, and overall I enjoyed it. 

Rating:

Storyline: 6/10

Cast performance: 1000000/10 (outstanding!)

Cinematography: 1000/10

Musical scoring, Costume, Props, Visual effects: 1000/10

Special shout-out to whoever did the dying Viserys' makeup: 1000000/10